Recent improvements in their spatial and data resolution capabilities have made digital color image processing systems attractive for a number of photo-processing (e.g. photo-finishing) applications. In still color image photography, for example, once an image (such as that captured on color photographic film or a high resolution color digital camera) has been digitized and stored in an attendant data base, it is readily optimized for reproduction by means of photo-finishing image processing software. Such image processing systems also provide for the storage and retrieval of high resolution digitized color still images for application to a variety of reproduction devices. This not only enables the photofinisher to optimize the quality of a color image print, but allows the images on a processed roll of film to be stored in digital format on a compact disc (CD), which may then be delivered to the customer for playback by a CD player and display on a television set.
One such apparatus is described in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 582,305, filed Sep. 14, 1990, entitled "Multiresolution Digital Imagery Photofinishing System," by S. Kristy, assigned to the assignee of the present application and the disclosure of which is herein incorporated. As diagrammatically illustrated in FIG. 1, such a digitizing apparatus may employ a high resolution opto-electronic film scanner 12, the output of which is coupled to a host digitized image processor (host computer) 14. Scanner 12 typically contains a very high resolution sensor array capable of generating high spatial resolution (e.g. a 3072.times.2048 pixel matrix) output signals which, when converted into digital format, yield `digitized` photographic image files from which high quality color prints may be obtained. Scanner 12 is arranged to be optically coupled with a photographic recording medium, such as a consumer- supplied 35 mm color film strip 16. Film strip 16 contains a plurality (e.g. a set of twenty-four or thirty-six) 36 mm.times.24 mm color image frames. For each scanned image frame, high resolution scanner 12 outputs digitally encoded data, representative of the opto-electronic response of its high resolution imaging sensor pixel array, onto which a respective photographic image frame of film strip 16 is projected by the scanner's input lens system.
This digitally encoded data, or `digitized` image, is supplied in the form of an imaging pixel array- representative bit map, resolved to a prescribed code width (e.g. eight bits per color per pixel), to a host processor 14. Host processor 14 performs an image encoding and storage operation by way of which each high resolution digitized image file is stored, preferably in a multi-resolution, hierarchical format. Such a storage format facilitates retrieval of the digitized images for reproduction by a variety of devices the resolution of which may vary from device to device, such as a low/moderate NTSC television monitor or a very high resolution, digitally driven, color thermal printer The spatial parameters of each of the hierarchical image files into which an original 3072 pixel.times.2048 pixel digitized image file is encoded and stored are chosen to facilitate the implementation and incorporation of a low cost, reduced complexity frame store/data retrieval architecture into a variety of reproduction devices, thereby providing for rapid call-up and output (display or print out) of one or more selected images.
In addition to using such improved photofinishing equipment to process current day images, such as capturing original color images in digital format by way of a high resolution digitizing color camera, or scanning a roll of color negative film, there is also the demand for using such digital image processing capability to convert `old` photographs, such as dated photoprints that have been kept in a loose pile in a `shoebox` or mounted in a family photo album, into digital format for CD storage, thereby allowing a customer to store and catalog the print images for subsequent television viewing.